International Journal of Instruction e-ISSN: 1308-1470 ● www.e-iji.net
January 2017 ● Vol.10, No.1 p-ISSN: 1694-609X pp. 55-70 Received: 01/01/2016 Revision: 11/08/2016 Accepted: 15/08/2016
Learning Geometry through Discovery Learning Using a Scientific Approach Akhsanul In’am Mathematics Department University of Muhammadiyah Malang Indonesia, Indonesia,
[email protected] Siti Hajar Islamic Junior High School Malang Indonesia, Indonesia,
[email protected]
The objective of this present research is to analyze the implementation of learning geometry through a scientific learning consisting of three aspects: 1) teacher’s activities, 2) students’ activities and, 3) the achievement results. The adopted approach is a descriptive-quantitative one and the subject is the Class VII students of Islamic Junior High School in Indonesia. The data were obtained through direct observations in order to gain some knowledge of the teacher’s and students’ learning activities. The results of the students’ learning activities were obtained through geometry tests. The research results showed that the teachers were able to implement the preplanned learning activities and their leaning activities may be able to improve the students’ learning activities. Moreover, the five aspects of the scientific approach namely observing, asking questions, reasoning, attempting and presenting, were well implemented. The students’ activities were also done as planned and all the aspects of the learning activities as stated in the approach may said to be well implemented. The mean value of students’ learning results in groups was found to be 96; meanwhile their individual learning result was found to be 95. This condition showed that the students’ learning results were under a very good category.
Key Words: discovery learning, teacher’s activities, students’ activities, learning results, scientific INTRODUCTION Learning is one of factors that may determine the students’ learning results (Lim & Morris, 2009), so that learning innovations should always be made (In’am, 2012). Meanwhile Nur (2000) states that the learning system at school tending to be based on behaviorism becomes one of factors raising the conflict phenomenon at school environment. Dealing with the learning of mathematics, many studies showed that mathematics materials are those with high failure risks and the students’ achievement in this subject is at the mid-stage (Saad, 2004). The results were in line with the concern of the experts in URL: http://www.e-iji.net/dosyalar/iji_2017_1_4.pdf
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mathematics with the students’ problem in solving mathematical problems, but most teachers were aware of the condition. Mathematical problem solving is an abstract and complex process and this involves human thinking and human contemplative faculties (NCTM, 2000). In order to solve the learning problems, some researchers have developed some learning models. Cholis (2006) and Yuwono (2006) developed a constructivism-based learning model for Junior High School Students, while Dwi (2006) gave a priority in the students’ behavioural principles using cooperative based learning activities in Elementary schools. Learning research concerning with discovery learning has shown that the learners have a high ability to follow very well, while the less ability group may increase the ability itself (Alex & Olubusuyi, 2013). However, the discovery learning emphasizing the extensive search through problem solving, processing of enhancing the learners’ memory has a limitation. Concerning with this matter, it may cause less learning (Rittle-Johnson, 2006), so that the learners need ability to monitor the processes that have been learned to pay attention to what already have (Case, 1998; Kirschner et al, 2006). To pay attention is a factor which is needed for innovation in learning to improve the student’s ability (Alex & Olubusuyi, 2013). The results showed that there are some innovations in the learning implementations, including learning development models. Learning innovation is an effort to create a program focused on the improvement of learning qualities, so that any learning activity really serves to improve the students’ learning quality (Podhorsky & Moore, 2006). Learning innovations must be made to enable the students to learn properly and also to make the teacher teach properly (In’am, 2015). Joyce, et al. (2009) said that a learning model is a design that may be employed to design the curriculum, to make learning materials, and also to lead any learning activities well either in or out of the classroom. Meanwhile Eggen & Kauchack (2009) suggested that a learning model is a learning perspective designed to attain certain learning objectives. Meanwhile, theoretically it can be stated that the implementation of learning activities is a series of scientific activities as stated in the 2013 curriculum that has been implemented in certain schools as a pilot project that mandates the importance of a scientific approach. Such a scientific approach is a medium to implement the development of students’ attitudes, competences and knowledge (Kemendikbud, 2013). Any activities appropriate for scientific work may be said as inductive reasoning, seeing any general conclusion may be obtained by basing it to an obtained specific thing. Dealing with the implementation of the 2013 curriculum, in mathematics learning, there are various facts that have not been in line with the expectations as stated in the curriculum. Some education and trainings on the implementation of the curriculum have been given to teachers, but due to the limited time, the majority of the teacher’s comprehension about the implementation of the learning activities has not met the expectation stated in the 2013 curriculum. Although the learning activities have followed the 2013 curriculum, but the levels of varieties in teachers’ creativities are still low. This condition may cause students to be bored with the learning activities, for example discussion is always held in each session so that the learning activities have not been made in line with the design of the 2013 curriculum.
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The student-centred learning system may be attained if teachers may use various flexible teaching strategies (Baxter & Gray, 2001; Chase & Geldenhuys, 2001). Appropriate and good teaching materials in mathematics cannot guarantee the attainment of the objective of the education and one of the important factors is the learning process that gives an emphasis on the students optimally, and one of the learning models that may fulfil the criteria is the discovery learning model.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE The Learning Model of the Discovery Learning The discovery learning model is one that gives opportunities to the students to find any information without help from the teacher (Saab et al.,2005; Hosnan, 2014). This model is known as a guided discovery method, where students are guided to discover a solution of a problem (Klahr& Nigam, 2004). Discovery learning is proven to improve the quality of learning compared to conventional methods, and learners can improve their knowledge during the learning process (Martins & Oyebanji, 2000; Bajah & Asim, 2002). Other than that, the discovery learning could make learning more meaningful for the students to understand the material being studied with the capability and the relevant information that he/she has (Mayer, 2003). Through this model, students discover something they learn by themselves. It does not mean that what is found in the learning activities is really new, but they, because of their own efforts, may discover a solution to a problem they face in learning (Krischner, et. al, 2006; Hosnan, 2014). This discovery method is a component of the education implementation as heuristic learning, namely a learning model consisting of methods designed to make processoriented students being active: leading by them, finding by them, and making their own reflections during their learning activities. A discovery learning model is a mental process where students assimilate a concept consisting of observing, grouping, hypothezing, explaining, measuring, and concluding (Klahr& Nigam, 2004). It is through this way that students may experience mental processes by themselves; the teacher merely guides and instructs them. Bruner suggests that the students learn through active participations using concepts and principles in order to get knowledge. It is necessary for students to make some discovery with the belief that a true learning is through personal discovery. Hosnan (2014) describes the steps in discovery learning as: 1) giving a stimulus; 2) identifying problems; 3) collecting data; 4) processing data; 5) verifying, and 6) making conclusions. A Scientific Approach The 2013 curriculum-based learning is implemented using three aspects namely attitude, knowledge, and skill (Kemendikbud, 2013). The aspect of attitude is intended to make the students know why, the aspect of skill brings the students to know how and the aspect of knowledge is intended to lead the students to know what. It is through the three aspects that the students will have an improvement and a balance between the ability to be a good person and to be a person with some knowledge to live decently covering the aspects of attitude, skilled knowledge competences (Hosnan, 2014). Observing The method of observing gives a priority on the meaningfulness of the learning process. The benefits of this method among others are that this gives real objects, the students feel happy and challenged, and the implementation is easy.
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Asking Questions An effective teacher is the one who may know his/her students’ competences and may inspire the students to improve and develop the aspects of their attitude, competence and knowledge. When asking a question, a teacher is also leading or guiding the students to learn well. When s/he is answering a question, s/he is also encouraging his/her students to become a good learner. Reasoning Reasoning is a systematic and logic thinking process or an empirical fact that should be observed to obtain a conclusion in the form of knowledge. The term to reason is equivalent with to associate instead of the translation of reasoning, although this term also means to reason. To reason in the learning context in the 2013 curriculum using the scientific approach refers to associative learning theory. Attempting In any effort to obtain real learning results, the students should make some trials, especially for appropriate materials of substances. In mathematics subject, the aspect of attempting is made through the implementation of the knowledge possessed to solve any mathematical problems. Presenting After the four stages are implemented, the fifth stage of the implementation of the scientific approach is presenting the findings or results obtained during the process. This activity may be done through representatives of groups if the implementation of the learning process is made using the cooperative model, but this may also be done through the presentation of the results by some students.
Learning through Discovery Learning using a Scientific Approach This combination is the learning implementation of the results of the collaboration model of discovery learning consisting of six steps namely: 1) giving a stimulus; 2) identifying problems; 3) collecting data; processing data; 5) verifying, and 6) making conclusions. The six aspects are integrated with five aspects of the scientific approach, namely: 1) observing; 2) asking questions; 3) exploring; 4) associating, and 5) presenting, and the interrelation between the discovery learning and the scientific approach is presented in Table 1. METHOD A research will succeed if a good plan is made. A good plan may be realized by paying attention to the approach and the type of research that will be committed. The Approach and Types of the Research A proper approach to a research should be applied, and the approach of this present research is descriptive-quantitative in nature. The Research Subject The data of this research were those on the results of the validation of the learning design, teacher’s activities during the learning activities and students’ activities of the Class VII as the research subject, and the results of the learning material of the students’ square forms.
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Tabel 1 A discovery learning model using a scientific approach Discovery Leaning Model Giving Stimulus In this activity, the teacher gives stimulus that may be in the forms of reading passage, or pictures or situation in line with learning materials that will be discussed, so that the students get learning experiences of observing conceptual knowledge through activities of reading, observing a situation or looking at pictures. Identifying problems From the stage, the students are required to find any problems they face, so that in this activity, the students are given experiences of asking questions, finding information and of formulating problems Collecting data At this stage, the students are given some experiences of looking for and collecting data/information that may be used to find solution to problems they encountered. This activity will also train them to be careful, accurate, and sincere and to habituate them to look for or to formulate various problem solving alternatives, if one alternative fails. Processing data The activity of processing data will train the students to attempt and to explore their conceptual knowledge competence to be applied to the real life, so that this activity will train them to the competence of thinking logically and applicative. Verifying This stage leads the students to verify the truth correctness of processing data through various activities, among others asking questions to classmates, discussing, or looking for relevant sources either from books or another media, and associating them so that a conclusion may be made. Making conclusions In this activity, the students are led to generalize their conclusion into similar event or problem, so that this activity may also train their metacognitive knowledge
Scientific Approach Observing
Asking questions
Reasoning
Attempting
associating
Presenting
The data of the validation results of the learning design were obtained from experts in learning, the teacher’s activities from the teacher’s activities and the students’ activities from the students. Moreover, the data were obtained from the results of the interviews made with the teachers doing the learning activities and with the students at Class VII of the Junior High School Malang, East Java, Indonesia as the research subject. This research highlighted the geometry learning through the discovery learning. The students of Class VII were designated as the subjects to implement the learning design. Moreover, based on the obtained data, the students in the class belong to the average with good ability.
The Technique of Data Collection The techniques employed in the data collection are giving instrument and using document and observing learning activities. Meanwhile the instrument of the learning implementation is used to evaluate the teacher’s activities during the learning process, and the instrument of students’ activities is intended to obtain the information during the
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learning implementation, and the instrument to get the students’ competence in learning results was tests dealing with the square form material. Technique of Data Analysis The data analysis is done by describing the research results. On the basis of the observation instrument, it can be stated that the teacher’s and students’ activities are shown using frequency, percentage and mean. Moreover, based on the observation results during the learning implementation, the teacher’s activities dealing with giving the stimulus, leading the problem identification, collecting the data combined with aspects of the scientific approach namely observing, asking questions, exploring, associating and presenting can be obtained. Meanwhile the students’ learning results are given scores to get the learning competence conversed into grades. FINDINGS The Teacher’s Activities during the Learning Implementation The teacher’s activities during the application of the Discovery Learning method with the scientific approach are divided into two. First is that whether the teacher’s activities are done in accordance with the prepared learning design and second is the scientific approach adopted by the teachers based on Table 2, the learning activities lasted in line with the design made by the teacher and on the basis of the validation results obtained from two validators,. It is shown that the learning design is said to be valid because there is a suitability between the criteria in the learning design and the implementation of the learning activities using the Discovery Learning with a scientific approach on the materials of recognizing elements of a plain. Dealing with the results of observation on the learning design, all stated in the category, from apperception to enclosing activities, were always done by the teacher. Concerning with the teacher’s activities, it can be stated that anything written in the learning design had been done in each session. The activities were from apperception to evaluation. The aspects of the discovery learning method the teacher done are as follows: Giving Stimulus to the Students The teacher’s activities in giving stimulus were for instances relating the material to be discussed with previous materials, giving questions, presenting the advantages of learning the materials that would be discussed, giving the examples of the uses of the materials and giving an orientation in observing pictures. The activities were intended to enable the students to understand the learning materials easily. These activities, on the basis of the observer’s evaluation, could be done well during the learning process. Stimulating the Students to Identify Problems The learning activity made by the teacher at this stage during the explanation of the material and the problem solving was for instance when the students made discussions in groups to solve the problem by consulting the materials in the supplementary books and looking at the materials presented by the teacher through the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). The teacher saw his students’ making a discussion seriously and when a student did not understand something he asked a question. The teacher leads the student to look for the answer to the question by himself/herself. When s/he had difficulty in answering the problem, the teacher asked another student to help solve the problem.
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Helping the Students Collect the Data The teacher facilitated and helped the students collect the data to do the students’ worksheet and to understand the learning materials. In the process of their understanding the teacher used the questions in the worksheet or gave questions orally to make them try, observe and analyse by themselves. Individual tests were made twice at the end of each cycle, while the results of group works were obtained from the evaluation of the students’ worksheets. Helping the Students Process the Data Data processing in this activity is intended to train students to try and to explore their conceptual competence. What the teacher made was to give some problem examples that might reason their conceptual knowledge. Therefore, there was a relationship between the activity of data collection and the data processing. When the students had a difficulty, the teacher found the best solution to the problem. The solution applied in the discovery learning was that the problem was presented to other groups that might have some opinion to solve the problem, but there was no idea, the teacher helped and explained it but also asked the students to discuss the problem together. The students were asked to think and to relate the concept and the problem to apply in the real life.
Table 2 Evaluation of the teacher’s activities on the basis of the learning design Activities Apperception Presenting Competences and Activities Planning Mastering Learning Materials Applying the educating learning strategies Applying the Scientific Approach Making use of learning sources/mediaPemanfaat sumber belajar/media during the learning process Involving the students in the learning process Using a right and proper language Closing the learning activities
Note: Verifying
never,
1 4
Meeting nth 2 3 4 5 4 4 4 4
6 4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
4
4
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4 4 4
Mean
Note
4
always
4
4
always
4
3.8
always
4
4
3.8
always
4
4
4
4
always
3
4
3
3
3.5
always
4
3
4
4
4
4
always
4 3
3 4
4 4
3 3
4 4
3.7 3.7
always always
= sometimes, 2
